Letters
by LittleShinikami
Summary: Ghost gets pulled into a "pen pal" program against his will. We get to read the letters bewteen him and his "pen pal", a college student back in the states. Bad summery I know. Critique greatly appriciated!
1. Chapter 1

**Author****'****s****note**: Dear God, it's been almost 4 years since I've written anything. This is going to suck so hard. This is something I just started for fun. This was inspired by the story "Dear Ghost" by_xXSakixPsychoxTeddyXx_. It is a Mary Sue just to warn you. But so is mine, so if you don't like them why are you even here?  
>This is my first time writing a COD fic. I've never actually played MW2, just seen vids of the campaign on Youtube. I like what I know of the story line and the characters. (Who couldn't like Ghost?) But I'm having a real hard time characterizing Ghost. So I would LOVE critiques and help with that.<br>Also not sure if I like Arianna or not. I can't seem to pin her personality down. Like I said, help would be greatly appreciated.  
>This will probably never get finished, just to warn everyone. I almost never finish any story I write. But maybe this will be a first? We'll see… Like I said, just for fun! So enjoy!<p>

Dear Ghost,

Hi. I'm Arianna. Your pen pal.  
>Ghost… that's an odd name. Must be a call sign huh? My dad was in the air force so I understand that.<br>So you're stationed in Russia? How's it over there? Cold? I don't know much about Russia. I'm in Montana in the States. Fall's setting in over here. Which is weird. Usually it gets really cold really fast and the leaves drop from the trees almost instantly. Having them actually turn colors is odd. Anyway I'm rambling.  
>I hope this letter makes your time in Russia a little more bearable.<br>- Arianna

Dear Arianna,  
>Yes it's my call sign. You're name's odd too. Don't know if I've heard "Arianna" before. How do you say it?<br>Yes I'm in Russia. And yes it's starting to get really cold over here. Montana huh? If it wasn't for all the damned nukes you have there I wouldn't even know that state existed.  
>So what do you do for a living?<br>Ghost

Dear Ghost,  
>It's pronounced ah-ree-a-na. Is it really that odd? I have to admit, I've never met anyone else with my name. Maybe it is odd…<br>Ha! I'd like to keep it that way. Keep all those crazy people for the other states out! I like Montana. It's quiet, not many people. More cows than people. No joke.  
>I'm just a college student for now.<br>So what do you do to keep busy when you're not out saving the world and junk?  
>- Arianna<p>

Arianna,  
>It's just an unusual name that's all. A bit anti-social are we? Enjoy the company of your cows? I suppose it's better than "crazy people."<br>What's your major? You enjoying it?  
>Not much to do around here. I train, do target practice, weight lift, and play cards occasionally. We rarely get off base for leisure so we have to be creative. Sometimes the guys pull pranks on each other. But I don't do that shit.<br>What do you do when you're not talking to your cows?  
>Ghost<p>

Ghost,  
>Just because I live in Montana doesn't mean I own a cow or even want one. I talk to my cat thank you very much. I sense that you have a sarcastic streak the size of Canada running through you. Am I right?<br>I don't really have a major right now. Just getting my General Education credits done. I couldn't decide on a major, but I'm leaning towards art.  
>I don't know if those activities sound good or incredibly boring. Pranks are no fun. My little brother still pulls that crap on me sometimes. I love the little rat, but sometimes I wish he would give it a rest…<br>What do I do? Aside from school, draw and paint, housework and target practice. Maybe I shouldn't have called target practice boring? Since I do it to entertain myself as well.  
>So you got friends there at the base? Or are you as anti-social as I am?<p>

P.S. I don't know if you'll get this before Halloween is over, but I sent you some candy. I figured that since you probably can't go trick-or-treating in Russia I should send you something. I wasn't sure what you'd want, most guys I've known like the sugary stuff and not chocolate, so I sent a variety. I hope you like it.  
>- Arianna<p>

Arianna,  
>Talk to your cat eh? Guess there are worse things. Is it a family cat? What's it's name? Sarcasm? Me? Never.<br>Art huh? I've never met an artist. What do you draw? What medium do you use?  
>So you have a little brother. How much younger than you is he?<br>I'm a little surprised to hear that you can shoot a gun. You just like shooting or what?  
>Well, I consider Captain MacTavish a friend. And the FNG, Roach. Sometimes he's an irritating little twat, but I guess he's like a little brother to me. They're the ones making me do this. Saying I need to "broaden my horizons" and shit.<br>Thanks for the candy. Roach says thanks as well. He was here when I opened the package up and promptly took every Snickers bar out of the box and ran off. Captain is going to have my bloody head. Roach doesn't hold his sugar very well.  
>I sent you something. Not much though, hope it's okay. It's saved my life a few times.<br>Ghost


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Wow look at me! Another chapter! I'm really enjoying writing this. But I can't seem to get into Ghost's head and characterize him right. Like I said, I would love help. Also I'm making Roach American since I think his loyalties are left up to the player. And I rather like Roach as an American. I'm also unsure how to move things past all the "small talk" to other things. But I guess it will come eventually. I'm not sure what I think of this chapter, but it _was_ fun to write. I think that's all that matters right now, since so far this story's just for fun.  
>Thank you Uscjoey for the review and the story alert! Also thank you Sheity for the story alert and favorite! It means a lot! Enjoy chapter 2!<strong>

Ghost,  
>You sent me a KNIFE? How the hell did you get that shipped over here? Seriously though, thank you! I love it. You're not going to miss it are you? You may need it to stab some bad guy's eye out you know…<br>Twat? Bloody? You wouldn't happen to be British would you? Can't say I've met a Brit before. Then again can't say I'll ever meet many foreigners in the middle of nowhere. Maybe that's why I signed up for this. Unlike you, I'm not opposed to "broadening my horizons." Lucky you, huh? How exactly did you get pulled into this?  
>The cat's mine. Her name's Cali. Considering I don't really like California or Californians, I don't know what possessed me to name her Cali. Maybe I had an aneurism or something while naming her.<p>

My art varies a lot, depends on the mood and the medium. Painting is usually restricted to scenery. I draw just about anything with pencils though. I'll use anything I can get my hands on. Nothing is safe around me. Here's a small watercolor painting I did a few weeks ago. It's the view from my back porch. Well, not exactly cause it's a piece of crap painting, but close enough.

My little brother's 18, he's graduating this year. So he's 5 years younger than me.

Yeah I actually I do like shooting. Although I've only ever used a rifle. My dad made sure my little brother and sister and I all knew how to shoot and hunt ASAP. Paranoid ex-military man, you know? My little sister's has started using a bow as well. I mess around with it occasionally, but I'm not strong enough to ever use more than a 15 pound bow. At least with a rifle I have a chance.

Good to know you're not the complete anti-social freak your name implies.

Forgive me for being naïve, but what does FNG mean? And why is his name Roach? I assume that's a call sign as well. I suppose it has something to with a cockroach. Lets see… cockroaches are disgusting, scatter when the light comes on and are freaking hard to kill. So you're friend is either one of those, two of them, or all three. The idea of a grown military man freaking out every time a light comes on doesn't seem right, so he's either disgusting or hard to kill. Or both. I'm gonna say both. (I've never actually seen a cockroach even though I know we have them. And I would prefer to live the rest of my life without seeing one.)

Glad you and Roach liked the candy. Maybe I'll send more later…  
>Be careful out there.<br>- Arianna

Arianna,  
>Yeah I'm a Brit. Got a problem with it Yank? You're not in the middle of nowhere. Try freezing your ass off in the middle of the Russian tundra. <em>That<em>_'__s_ the middle of nowhere.  
>Captain MacTavish asked for volunteers for this. I guess General Shepherd insisted on it. Something about keeping up appearances. A few of the other guys volunteered. I didn't. MacTavish basically ordered me to do it. Said I needed to do something other train and yell at people all the damn time.<br>An aneurism? It sounds more like you went stark raving mad naming her that. Since you hate California so much. Then again, you _do_ talk to your cat. Maybe I'm writing to a raving lunatic? That would definitely make this more interesting…  
>Thanks for the painting. You're a pretty talented artist. Though I'm having trouble believing that's the view from your porch. Seems awfully quaint. Then again it is Montana.<br>So a little brother and sister, any other siblings?  
>At least you know how to shoot a rifle. Most girls I met when I was back in the S.A.S. were afraid to even look at a gun, let alone shoot one. So do you do a lot of hunting?<br>And I'm glad you're not the cow riding hill-billy I imagined.  
>FNG = Fucking New Guy. Roach is not disgusting unless he's shit faced and puking on your shoes. But the bloke can barely walk without tripping over his own two feet. Half his injuries are self inflicted from his clumsiness. It's a miracle he's still alive. Speaking of Roach, the twat wanted to drop you a line because he didn't bother signing up for this. So there's a note in here from him too.<br>Careful is my middle name.  
>Ghost<p>

Arianna,  
>Hey, it's Roach. Thanks for sending Ghost candy. I enjoyed it. Please send more. By the way, the painting was awesome!<br>Roach

Ghost,  
>Freeze my ass off in the Russian tundra? Thanks but I think I'll pass. I freeze my ass off up here in the winter as it is. Though it's probably not nearly as bad as Russia…<br>So you were basically forced into this then? Why keep sending letters then? Why not write one line letters to keep up appearances and save yourself some trouble? Or are you maybe, _possibly_, having some fun broadening your horizons? Well if all else fails at least you're getting candy out of the deal. Speaking of candy, Roach asked me to send more, but I did even better than that. I sent you home made cookies. Hopefully it's not a bag of crumbs by the time it gets to you. They're Snickerdoodles, which happen to be my specialty. Share with Roach, kay?  
>Seriously? Talking to a cat makes me a lunatic? Then I must be completely off my rocker, because not only do I talk to my cat, I talk to myself often. Surely I'm not alone in this. Surely you've talked to a pet or yourself before. Talking to myself gets boring and at least the cat purrs at you and pretends to care about you. Even though we all know cats are stuck up pricks. But I love Cali anyway…<p>

Thanks for the compliment. It is actually the view from my porch. And believe it or not, the city is just over the hill. We're not really out in the boonies, just a couple miles from the city. And it's making it's way out here. I swear, if it comes over that hill, I'm making my parents move. I like the country. Well, I like the mountains better, but this is as close as it's going to get. So would you like me to draw or paint you something? You got a favorite animal I could draw?  
>Nope, no other siblings. Just Nick and Rachael. How about you? Do you have any siblings?<br>Okay, so again with the naivety… what's the S.A.S.? Glad I'm not like all the other girls.  
>No I don't hunt. My dad made me a few times, but I hate killing things. The first time I shot a deer when I was 14 I thought I was going to have a mental break down. I cried all day. Rachael is even worse. She can't even look at the carcass. I can handle it when dad and Nick bring home the carcasses. They even hang out in the garage to cure and it doesn't bother me a bit, just don't make me kill it.<br>I imagine you don't let Roach get plastered very often if he's puking on your shoes when he is… Clumsy huh? I don't know if that's cute or just a liability. Or maybe it's just a law suit waiting to happen? Eh, who knows.  
>Careful is your middle name? And I'm the Queen of England. Oh wait…<br>Enjoy the cookies and make sure Roach doesn't kill himself by tripping over his own two feet.  
>- Arianna<p>

Arianna,

How cold does it get in Montana? I mean I know it's basically a part of Canada and all, but does it really get that cold?  
>Do I sense some offense at the fact that I was forced into this? I'm still writing to you, aren't I? So maybe it isn't so bad…<br>Thanks for the cookies, were they really homemade? Wow, the lady can cook too. And before you ask, yes I did share them with Roach. He, however, got a _limited_ amount. We did enjoy them though.  
>Talking to yourself or your cat isn't <em>necessarily<em> bad, but all the time? Isn't that what friends are for? Surely a girl like you has some friends. Or was I right when I said you were anti-social? Especially considering you don't want the city moving out your way.  
>You still live with your parents? Aren't you 24? Why are you still there?<br>What do you like about the mountains?  
>Well I really could use a book mark. I'm getting sick of all my books getting dog eared. Do you think you could make me one? I don't really have a favorite animal. Wolves are neat though.<p>

The S.A.S. is the Special Air Services, a part of the British army. It's where I was before being transferred here.  
>Can't say I've ever been hunting, though the idea of being self sufficient is definitely appealing. You don't like killing anything? Even for food? Does that mean you're a pacifist?<p>

I wouldn't say we get plastered _often_, but it's definitely regular. Like on someone's birthday or after an op. Sometimes it's just easier than thinking about it. Even if it means I have to wake up to Roach's vomit in my shoes.  
>Well, aside from living in the country and having a dad who hunts, you don't seem like a hill billy. Unless, of course, there are things that you aren't telling me. Which is a definite possibility.<br>Don't worry. I'm always there to save Roach's ass. He always needs it. And the bug wants to send you another note. Why didn't he sign up for this? Shit, why isn't he writing you instead of me? Although I have to say, the conversations have definitely been _interesting_.  
>Ghost<p>

Arianna,  
>I loved the cookies! <em>I<em> knew they were homemade. I could tell. So don't listen to Ghost he's an ass face sometimes. I was actually wondering if you could do me a really big favor. There were these cookies my mom used to make that I loved, they were pretty much butter and sugar if I remember right and they were little balls. If you know what I'm talking about, is there a chance you could make some and send them over? I'd really like that.  
>Oh and I can take care of myself. I don't need Ghost to babysit me. Sheesh.<br>Roach

**I think I like writing Roach more than the other two. XD Ghost asks too many questions! But I imagine that he would rather ask questions than respond, being the closed person he seems to be. Read and review and critique please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: So another chapter. This is only a couple of letters because they're starting to get longer. I think I went a little over board. Oh well. So who's excited for Christmas? I am! I know, I know it's still like 6 weeks away but we had our Thanksgiving early so I'm already excited. These letters deal with Christmas, since it should probably be about that time for them. This chapter was written while listening to the band Soil & Eclipse. Really good dark techno synthpop band. A lot of their music strikes me as Ghost-ish (them and Covenant) so I listen to them for inspiration!  
>Thanks to Gone Rampant, DestinyIntertwined and SilverEmoWind55 for favoriting my story!<br>Uscjoey: Thanks! I'm trying!  
>SilverEmoWind55: Thank you. I'm glad you like it!<br>I do not own Call of Duty or any of the characters (obviously).  
>Enjoy.<strong>

Ghost,  
>It gets pretty cold here in the winter. It really depends on the winter. But if we have a bad one sometimes the daytime temperature is only -20 degrees, sometimes for weeks at a time. That's usually in January and February. So far we have had a lot of snow (2 feet on the ground right now), but only a couple of nights have been below zero. Hey I have nothing against Canada.<br>I'm not offended that you were forced into this. Well, maybe I would be if you weren't still writing me. So I can only assume that even though you were forced into it you're willingly continuing and maybe are even enjoying this? Of course, a battle hardened soldier such as yourself would probably never admit that.  
>Glad you liked the cookies. Since Christmas is coming soon I figured I'd send a bunch of goodies we've been making. I also sent Roach a note and it has the list of what all the goodies are. Enjoy them!<br>Well, I really don't have any friends. Most of my friends from high school moved away and I've lost touch with them. And my class mates, well, I wouldn't call them friends. They aren't acquaintances either though, something between acquaintances and friends. Let's just say that I have trust issues and leave it at that.  
>My parents said they'd help me through college, but only if I stayed at home. I don't hate my family so it's not a big deal. Sometimes I still feel like a teenager, living at home and all, but it's not so bad. It's not like there's a lot of rules to abide by anymore. Call me old fashioned, but the idea of a girl staying home until she gets married is kind of neat. I know I could be on my own, but I don't really have a reason right now and it <em>does<em> save some money.

What do I like about the mountains? Well it smells amazing out there. And it's so beautiful, so many colors, all the wildlife. I guess I can't really pin it down, I just love it. My cousins had a cabin in the mountains near us and we visited them a lot in the summer when I was a kid. I guess there's a lot of good memories there. It was one of the few places my mom would let us run around unchecked. So was so paranoid of creeps in the city that we never got to run any neighborhood we lived in. But at the cabin she never cared, as long as my cousin's dog was with us. Maybe another reason is that I've loved camping since I was young. The best sound in the world to go to sleep to is a creek. It's really relaxing.  
>So I got your book mark done. I wasn't sure I'd get it done before Christmas, but here it is. I've never drawn a wolf before so I hope this is okay. Colored pencils FTW! (FTW = for the win.) What kind of books do you like to read? I like reading too. I like sci-fi and fantasy (hard to find good ones though) and biographies.<br>Hey what kind of music do you like? I was listening to this song the other day and I thought of you. I don't know why, it just reminded me of you. But I don't want to send you a song if you hate that genre!  
>I'll assume I can't know what branch your in now. Probably classified or something.<br>I'm actually not sure if I'm a pacifist or not. I don't like war at all and there's no way _I_ could kill someone ever. But someone has to fight the bad guys. And not matter the conflict I will always support the troops. It's not their fault there's conflict. This whole thing with Russia is… scary. I'm glad there are people like you trying to stop it. But… I worry about you a lot, Ghost. I don't know your real name or what you look like or really anything about you, but I sometimes when I get a letter from you I think it could be the last. That scares me. I guess when I signed up for this I didn't think that we would become friends and that I might worry about you. Just don't do anything stupid, okay?  
>I can see using alcohol for an escape. I've had bad experiences with a family member being alcoholic, so I try not to drink. Being plastered just doesn't sound fun. My escape is my music and my art when I need it.<br>I hope you have a good Christmas over there. Or do you get to go home for Christmas? Either way I hope you have a good one. I'll be thinking of you. Take care of yourself, okay? Merry Christmas.  
>- Arianna<p>

Roach,  
>Yeah those cookies are Mexican Wedding Cakes. I LOVE those cookies! But they are so fattening. Of course you probably don't worry about that.<br>I also sent some other Christmas goodies. There's fudge and the white stuff is peppermint bark and the lumpy things are peanut clusters! I hope you enjoy them! Don't get oo wound up on sugar, okay?  
>Merry Christmas Roach!<br>- Arianna

Arianna,  
>Wow, I didn't think it would get that cold over there. I assume you mean Fahrenheit, so that's… -28 Celsius, give or take.<br>You're right. A "battle hardened soldier" like me probably wouldn't admit to much. But for your sake I will admit to enjoying writing to you.  
>Thanks for the sweets. I enjoyed them, especially the, what'd you call them, peanut clusters? Did you make all those yourself? God, it was a bitch keeping Roach away from them though. I had to portion them out to him. Let's just say he didn't appreciate my efforts to keep him somewhat sane… Sometimes it's hard to believe he's actually a soldier who's been through many battles, he acts like he's 12. Maybe that's his way of coping with the stress.<br>No friends? That's hard to believe, but if you say so. Trust issues, huh? I can relate.  
>Maybe you are old fashioned, but that's not always a bad thing. Some things from the past need to be brought back, others, however, need to continue to rot six feet under.<br>Montana sounds like a beautiful place. It seems like the mountains hold a lot of good for you. Would you live in the woods if you could? Maybe some day I can come see Montana.  
>The book mark is amazing. Thank you. You really are a talented artist. I like mystery books. But since we almost never leave this shit hole we call a base except to go on missions, I read whatever I can get my hands on. I guess after alcohol that's the second thing I use to cope with all the shit they put us through.<p>

Music? Rock I suppose. But I'll listen to almost anything. I honestly don't listen to much music any more. Send me a mix CD. I'd like to see what _you_ like. Especially a song that reminds you of me. I can only pray that it isn't some god awful rap song. Meat plays that shit all the time, gives me a headache.  
>Yes you'd be correct in assuming it's classified.<br>Don't worry. Hopefully this whole thing with Russia will be over before you know it. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. So we're friends now? So that whole bit about not having friends wasn't quite true was it? Since we're friends I guess it wouldn't be a big deal if I told you my real name. It's Simon Riley. I really do try hard NOT to get shot. So really don't worry. And I will try not to do something stupid. But no guarantees. If General Shepherd sends us out on a crazy ass mission, there's not much I can do about stupid things I'm ordered to do. But as much as it's within my power I'll try not to do something stupid. You seem like a nice girl with a bit of a tender heart. I don't want to ruin that. So I will try to be more careful.  
>Dealing with an alcoholic isn't fun. There's a fine line between using alcohol the way we do (to forget the fact that we kill people on a constant basis and are fucked in the head) and being an alcoholic. Is the person close to you? That would make it harder.<br>I can understand music as an escape, but how do you use art as an escape?  
>We get leave for Christmas, but I stay on base. Roach is staying with me so I'm not alone. He said something about how no one should spend Christmas alone. I don't know whether to be thankful or annoyed. I don't know if this will get to you before Christmas, but Merry Christmas. Roach tried to get me to bake you something, but there's no way in hell I would do that. I don't want to kill you. So I made you something. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I'm not so sure. The more I look at it the more I realize how ridiculous it is and how much a piece of shit it is. But Roach says you'll love it. We'll see. If it really is a piece of shit, let me down easy eh?<br>Have a good Christmas.  
>Ghost<p>

Arianna,  
>Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the treats! I loved them, especially the Mexican cake thingies! They tasted just like my mom's. Yeah, no worries about me getting fat. With the way Ghost runs training I'd be lucky to gain weight!<p>

Ghost is being an arsehole and won't make you any treats. (But his gift IS pretty awesome.) So I made you something! I hope you like it. You're a girl and it's chocolate so I don't see how you _couldn__'__t_ like it.  
>Anyway, Merry Christmas Arianna!<br>Roach

**Ooooh cliff hanger! What did Ghost get her for Christmas? (That's for me to know and you to find out! lol) I never thought I'd beg for reviews, but please review! It really does make me write faster. And it makes me really happy. I don't even care if they're flames! Just review! lol If you see something wrong, like spelling or grammar, please tell me so I can fix it. Again, help me with characterization if you can! Have a good night all!**


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